


Timeshifted

by pseudomancer



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-25
Updated: 2017-04-25
Packaged: 2018-10-23 11:33:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10718553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pseudomancer/pseuds/pseudomancer
Summary: Instead of returning home, Midna's act of destroying the mirror strands herself and the hero of light in Termina.





	Timeshifted

The mirror cracks  
t̷̢̛̤̯̭̱͐̐͑̈̋̄͊̀͒̋̍̽̏̅͘̚͘͝ẇ̶̡̛̛̘͆̿̄̂̑̏̋̎͑͛͛̿̅̊̏́͒͆͛̚̚͘͝͝i̴̩͈̜̫̮̯͈̳̭̝̯͉̝̞̼̭̝͕͉̭̪̐̈́̏l̶̨̢͙͔̹͇̟̩͉̝̙̓̓ḯ̷̦̌̀̓̾̆ģ̵̧̢̰̬͇̖͕̦̗̼͉͖͓̺̱̰̦̻̺̭̘̪̮͋̿͑̐͌̔̃̈́̃̈́̄̇̓͐̐͝h̵̨̹̰̦̹͚̳͔̥̞̠͕̯̝̠̤̰̻̦̬̝̼͎̐̈͂͛̓̈̓̈́̂͐̿͆͊͊̉̚͜ͅͅţ̷̨̙̠͔̖̫̟͚̟̭̩̈́̌͊́̈́͒͑̂͋̈́̓̀͂͑̃̆̈́̌͋̃́͋́̚͘̕͠͠  
\--and the world bleeds back.

The wind is b̵̡̧̧̳̯͓̖̣̙͎̠̣̳̠̘̙̭̻͚͈͉͙͇͉̫̭̊͌̈́̅̌̆̋̅̚͜͠͝l̴̢͓̼̻̥̪̃͗̅ợ̷̧̧̨̛̞̯̤̠̮̟̬̪͍̭̖͎̙̰̼̙͍͉͈̮͎͆͂̈̽̇̽̔̀̓̆̔͋̑͋̌̀̃̃͘͜͜͝͠w̷̜̖̦͎̅̄i̴̱̙̠͉̗͑̽͑̈̄̔̏̔́̆͘n̷̡̛̛̛͓̦̱̖͙̼͎̙̤͇̫̦̞̞̋̄̎̑͆̔̈́̉͒͛͒̈́̓̄̎͛͌̑̈̆̏͌͜ͅġ̶̨̡̢̡̯̼̳̰̮̯̘̳̰̟͈̬̳͎̘͎̜̱̳̗̥͎̐̇͘...

it drops away, and is slowing,

now all is black.

 

Vision stained with murk, her eyes drift open slow. There's a sea around her; no, that's just her body. She feels sick, a quagmire stirring in her stomach. She twists and rolls onto her knees, trying to get up. Her head is throbbing--

"Am I so beautiful you've no words left?"

She cringes at the recent memory. She considers those words, thinking they had been a little conceited and harsh. She knows it wasn't Link's fault. Her thoughts of her little hero slip a small wedge into her chest-- she knows she'd gotten away before truly sour things could have developed between them. She had likened it to ripping off a bandage. By doing the unthinkable without any build up, she had saved them a lot of unnecessary hardship. Or so she thought.

When Midna manages to rise to her feet, she isn't where she thought she would be. The grand world of the light unfolds before her. She winces even, as the brightness of the sun obscures her vision. She covers her eyes for a moment, adjusting painfully. She grits her teeth under the warm glare, recognizing that something isn't quite right. The mirror: she'd destroyed it, just as she'd crossed over. She wonders if she'd made a fatal mistake, but knows she couldn't have. She knows she should have passed back into her world without interruption, however, seeing that she isn't where she should be - bright light all around -, she can only draw the conclusion that someone, or something, had prevented her from being reunited with her people.

Midna hears a stirring beside her. She turns her adjusted sight to her left, finding a field of grass and wind shaking the long leaves of it. Nestled in the bed is a familiar beast, the hero. Her heart plummets. Then buoys.

"Link?" she calls.

She places her hand upon his mane and shakes him.

"Link?" she calls again.

Midna feels her heart notch. She realizes something is wrong. Nevermind that Link shouldn't be where she had gone to, but that he's not breathing. Cursing, Midna collapses onto her knees and rolls the heavy mutt over. Exposing the pale white coat of his underbelly, she examines him for physical injury. Seeing nothing obvious and without much time to work, she decides to take a drastic action. She places one hand near his still heart and concentrates. A marbleized aura of black magic pours out, shrouding the beast. Healing magic is not common among the people of Twilight, however, what is commonly taught are sorceries that can ward off the reaping of untimely death.

Midna slumps with relief as Link begins to breathe once more. She isn't sure what worked: her magic or Link's resolve; but it doesn't really matter to her, the net result is what's important. The princess fondles the wolf's jaw as she listens to the breeze weave through the grass, her thoughts dreamlike and meandering. Time passes - but how much time? She loses track of it, worrying over what to do now. In an unknown place, separated from her people; and Link spirited away from his home as well, this seems to be all her fault. She wonders if she acted too rashly, if she shouldn't have asked for the Triforce of Wisdom possessor's aid in returning home. She hadn't wanted to burden others, but by acting alone she had...

Link awakens. He wasn't out for very long, actually. The wolf's head perks up, twisting toward her. Link looks her deep in the eye.

"Hero," Midna says in greeting, her voice a little dry, "How do you feel?"

In response, the wolf makes a sound between a bark and a whimper. Midna wrinkles her nose, considering how to parse such a sound. She wonders if she should interpret that as joy congealed with pain, sadness with relief, or as anger and weakness? There's really no telling for her, because while she's always been capable of speaking to Link while he takes this form, it's not as though she can psychically understand him. She's certainly become good at reading him, at least from her perspective, but there are still many things about his character she can't parse. Being a silent farm boy and inexplicably a great hero of the light world, there are many indecipherable quirks to his personality that would probably remain forever puzzling. 

"Well, if you're well enough to make a noise like that, change back would you? I know it isn't in your nature to say very much, but I would like to have a more descriptive reply than that. This is not a good situation we find ourselves in," she folds her arms over her breast, perching her viscous lips into a grimace, "Do you recognize this place?"

Link shakes his head.

"What do you mean no? No as in 'I refuse', or no as in, 'I can't'? It better not be the former. I'm not feeling very patient or understanding right now."

Link nods twice, as if to say, 'the second one'.

"I see," she thumbs his ear, feeling the fuzz, "Truly? I don't feel anything wrong with you. Are you sure you can't just change back? Try for me."

Link does apparently try, or as far as she can guess. He tilts his wolfish snout at her in dejected apology.

"There's nothing in you that should be preventing a transformation. In-fact, there's no reason that you should be a dirty mutt at this time, I feel no darkness inside you at all," she touches him again, again confirming there's no magical hold on him, "Oh, don't give me that look. We'll figure out something for this too, I suppose,"

Her expression grows long like a deep shadow. The princess of Twilight stands, dusting off her knees. She adjusts her royal attire, affixing shroud and robes across her flesh. She pans around her, diagnosing that they are in an unknown forest together, with ordinary trees (of some species that looks vaguely familiar to her, but to which she could not name) and rocks and in the distance there's the sound of gurgling waters.

Midna winces suddenly, as she's beset by pain. There's a horrible weakness in her gut that makes her lurch. An electric jolt pierces her side and she clutches chest. She recognizes this pain - she's over-exerted her body. Destroying the mirror and working a desperate death-ward on Link; that all has overtaxed her supply of magical energy. Being trapped as an imp for so long must have damaged her in more ways than she had realized, she assumes. Having undergone a similar experience in her childhood while learning to use magic, she knows she has to rest. Unfortunately, they're stuck out here.

Midna lifts her blurry vision, not at all surprised to see Link pacing around her. The beast's paws pine at the dirt, scraping as he rubs up against her shin. Midna considers sitting down here, but there's a fear that keeps her standing. She's not sure she could stand again if she took a seat right then, so she makes a tentative step forward.

"Thank you. But I'm all right, just a little sore. Could you...scout ahead? I have no idea where we are, how we got here, or what can be done to return."

Link darts around in front of her, walking backward with his head lowered. His feral eyes sharply follow her as she takes careful steps in the tall, moist grass.

"I'll be fine, really. Please. I swear I'm not going to leave you like this," her words trail off and she realizes what she's now said...wondering if Link knew what she had been planning to do and what caused this all to begin with, if he ought to believe her word at all, "I promise."

That seems to quell his concerns. The wolf skirts into the thick shadows between the trees. He isn't seen of, or heard of, despite how fast he moves. Midna feels a sharpness in her breath. Time slows to a crawl without him.

 

Midna moves like a cripple through the small grove. She stops to rest, holding onto the rigid bark of a tree just a short distance from where she had begun walking. Her pain-ridden mind dwells over the situation once more. She considers some magical spells she could be using right now to scry the world around them, but until she recovers it would be too dangerous to attempt that. Eventually, Link returns. For some reason, this pricks Midna's twilight heart. She questions herself, wondering why she had doubted he would return. Logically she knows Link would never abandon her, but her heart had considered it a fairly real possibility.

"Did you find anything?" she asks.

Link shakes his head, then nods.

"Well, which is it?" she groans.

He wags his tail and pants, sticking out his tongue. A hand reaches down and ruffles the top of his head.

"Don't make me treat you like a dog," she mumbles.

Link somehow persuades her to stumble a short distance to a near by trickle of fresh water. She collapses there. The dog pushes her into a more comfortable position. The ingenious animal creates a container from a broken piece of tree trunk, fills it with cool water, and splashes it on her forehead. She takes a few drinks, time passing feverishly.

In the morning, Midna feels she's recovered a little. She sighs, stretching her cramped limbs. She realizes she's startled by a heavy warm thing in her lap...of course it's Link. He hops off her.

"Who gave you permission to sleep on me like that?" Midna grumbles, "None of that."

Link yelps.

"Fine, whatever. You're forgiven. Just don't do it again."

He nods. She tries to stand. It's a little too fast, she wobbles, her vision swims red but she doesn't fall. She wrings her hands, feeling positively filthy, but recognizes it may be some time until she can finally have some proper respite as a princess of the royal family.

"I feel better," she says to no one, "Thank you for asking. Now, where are we headed? Do you know where we should go?"

Link yelps.

"What happened to you hero? I used to be able to understand you. Are you trying to make things harder for me?"

Link yelps.

"For the goddess' sake! You better be cursed for real! If I find out you're being deliberately difficult with me..."

Link whines. It causes Midna to wrench a little.

"Sorry," she shakes her head, "I suppose that would be rather stupid of you. We're both stuck in this. I shouldn't doubt you."

But she does and it's irrational to her. Why does she want to doubt Link? Because, he hasn't done anything to deserve it; she tosses with herself. She can't explain her feelings, however.

"But knowing you, you probably have some sense of wild direction. You're always been an intuitive little sneak," she chuckles, "I'll let you lead us then. Just don't get us killed."

Link barks. She notices he likes being in charge. His tail wags perkily behind him as he saunters low along the ground. He takes a sedate pace through the trees, leading Midna down a path of least resistance. There are steep slopes and muddy hills to climb, but Link seems to have already mapped out a passage that a weary princess is capable of walking. Midna admires his thoughtfulness and patience.

"I suppose I did take your dependability for granted all this time," she muses...her thoughts shifting as she considers...that yes, she had. It was one of the motivating factors to returning home in haste - she owed Link much already. She had felt spending any more length of time with him would put her too deeply in his debt.

There is a saying among her people, but it can be translated simply as: don't be afraid to quit, don't fear to run away, don't shame when you leave another behind. There is courage in living. There are those who would miss you. Love yourself. Nobody can fault you for that.

It might clash with the way some over-the-top light-dwellers behave, but to her it's a model creed for any living organism. If everyone can pull their own weight, then nobody should have to sacrifice themselves. She believes Link is too kind for his own good. His actions are admirable to her, and as a hero he is worthy of song and legend, but ultimately his actions not necessary - he could be happy right now, living on his little farm. Yes, she did call upon him for help in her time of need and he had needed a little aid from her; but now that the spell is broken, she's more than capable of fending for herself. He's more than done his part, he deserves a peaceful epilogue of his own. But, she supposes she can indulge him a little longer now that they're stuck here at the moment. She supposes the pair of them do work well together. It will save them both time if they stick together, so she doesn't mind abstaining from the saying of her people a little longer-- but she does know she must dwell on it, for the sake of everyone's future. Parting will be the best for both of them, in the long term.

The pair work their way deeper into the forest. Instead of the trees thinning, they become so thick the tops choke out the light from above. And when night falls, a dangerous and ominous air surrounds them.

"Oy," Midna hisses, "Are we really going the right way, hero of light? Sure your danger sense didn't get mixed up with your directional one?"

Link growls-- this time not in good humor.

"Great. We've already walked into something we're not just walking out of?"

Indeed, Link backs up until his hind quarters are pressed against her legs. The wolf bares his fangs and snaps his jaw.

A mangy family of wolfos emerge from the darkness. They're hunched over mongrels, standing on two feet, long spindly arms decorated with wild, curling claws. Midna searches herself for her magical reserves at their horrendous appearance, but finds them mostly dry. She bites her lip.

"Hero, do you think you can deal with them for me? It will slow us down if I have to..."

She doesn't like to say it, but she'll have to rely on him for this, too.

And without any hesitation, Link scurries forward. The pack of beasts howl and hiss, swiping their long arms at him, but Link ducks and slides, acrobatically whipping his body under them. With their backs turned he makes long fleshy swipes of opportunity, dragging thick lethal wounds across their flanks and backs. The creatures of evil snarl and surround Link...he's deft as can be, practically invulnerable while he defeats them one by one, whittling the group down to half its size. Midna observes just how enormous this pack of monsters is! And too how much of a killer Link's become under her wardship. In a way, it does fill her with pride. But at the same time, she recognizes that it's simply unnatural.

As the pack is thinned, the clever monsters largely remain. They cut the pair off. Starving, a number of wolfos begin to approach Midna, who backs away slowly, her hands rising up. She would rather not tax her body and there are quite a few of them. She's sure to be hurt if something doesn't happen soon-

"Link!" she calls, "Get over here!"

The hero is embroiled in a messy combat situation- wolfos are packed more tightly together, making long but guarded swipes with their claws, backing away carefully when he tries to counterattack. But hearing Midna's plea, he snaps his attention to her and the encroaching enemies--

With a ferocious wet snappling of his jaw and a pealing whine, he charges through the obstacle before him, his body an arrow of god. The wolfos bar his way, but he plows through them. The enemies take a few greedy gouges into his mane with their claws as he collides into them, but it doesn't slow him down at all. He runs as freely as his blood, each tooth of each paw galloping him forward. Link comes barreling through, delivering a roaring claw. His fanged fists eviscerate a wolfos spine, while his mouth-daggers bear down onto a tender neck piece. The monster wails and shakes, trying to shake Link off him, but Link shreds up his back with his paws, kicking off the foe. He turns to another, his body screwing up and pistoning out, springing onto it with a howl. Watching their brethren mauled and picked apart into unprecedented number, the group scatters in terror, each fleeing into darkness.

Midna appreciates the carnage with a dour look. The spectacle of death is a gory mess all over the forest floor. Link heaves mighty breaths, his lean body rippling with slackening strength.

"Goodness, you've become quite the beast. Very good work. There's not even a drop of blood on me."

Link approaches her calmly and his menacing eyes inspect her for injury. Since he finds none, he barks in approval. His head lifts up, his body seating, and the wolf smiles dangerously. Midna smiles back, at least until she spots an injury on his neck.

"You okay?"

Link barks.

"Doesn't look very pretty."

Link's tongue hangs out.

"Then do please try to dispatch them more perfectly next time? That thing on your neck is just unsightly for...a hero."

Quirking a smile, Link shakes and rattles his fur. Speckles of blood spray the floor.

"Link!" Midna shrieks, just nearly getting covered in blood.

The dog barks madly.

"That wasn't funny! Don't you ever do that again!"

They decide to rest for the night, since the forest seems more dangerous in the dark than it does during the day. There isn't a fire to keep them warm, but Link curls up beside her and he does permeate a lot of unnecessary body heat. She feels like the fire of his heart is sufficient for her; in the realm of Twilight, it's not usually very warm anyway.

In the morning, Link wakes her up with a prod of his muzzle. She thumbs his face and pushes him away, getting up with a groan. The pair travel down deeper into the forest, reaching the grounds of a stone temple.

"Well," Midna observes, "This is quite the sight. Did you intend to lead us here?" she laughs, "This would make for a good joke about how you're only good at finding danger."

Link barks.

"Wonderful. I suppose there must be some ancient artifact in this temple that will help us out?"

Link barks.

"I was being sarcastic. This isn't the time for some foolish adventuring! Why did you lead me here, hero?"

Link barks. He barks again, getting up on his hind legs. He sticks out his tongue and smiles.

She swats him with the tip of her hand, "You should see yourself! Stop acting like a fool," she shakes her head and drawls, "You're not expecting me to go in there with you? Are you?"

Link whimpers...

Midna sighs, "Well, I suppose it's dangerous to go alone. Fine. I just don't see the point in this though. But you can't expect every ancient ruin you come across to have something useful in it. You can't expect us to go in here just because 'it's the only notable thing around here', because that's just a stupid, muttly logic."

The temple rises like a pyramid for about two tiers. Then at the top, stairs drop down into an abyss. Vines and overgrowth clot old bricks and mortar. A musky scent hangs in the air as they descend, causing Midna to hold her nose. She didn't mind the cool soil nestling between her toes, but the ice-cold brick against her bare feet is bothersome.

"It's dark in here," Midna says, once the light from above is snuffed out completely, making it impossible to see where they're headed, "You wouldn't happen to have your lantern in that fur of yours somewhere would you?" Midna grumbles as Link's bark-back reverbs down the old stone hall.

"Fine," Midna lifts a hand, casting a very basic spell. It shouldn't tax her at all, she decides.

Her lips move subtly, a single word leaving her throat. A black light encases both hers and Link's gaze. It's a simple dark-vision spell, enhancing their sight to the point where everything is neatly outlined. Within moments, even more detail surfaces. There are glyphs on the walls, a dull light shimmering under her magical gaze.

"Link, sit."

The lupine turns his head around, staring at her as if to say ... 'don't command me literally like I'm a dog'.

Midna wears a sly grin as she brushes against the stone wall, "Just wait a minute, I don't recognize the language, but they look iconographic."

Link has no idea what she's talking about, so he waits there. His ears perk up as Midna studies the signs. He hears something familiar - scuffing feet. It doesn't sound very friendly to him, so he swerves, his eyes glowing in the darkness.

"What're you doing?" Midna questions, too absorbed to notice the finer details of Link's behavior, "Just sit still."

The scuffling approaches them. Link snaps his teeth. It's not an enemy this time, however. A man holding a very dim torch rounds a corner. He's smiling brilliantly, his body loaded with junk. Link quiets and Midna pauses in thought to study him.

"Hello?" Midna speaks.

The man moves closer, aiming his flickering torch at them.

"Hello! Fancy meeting you! What are you doing down here?"

No response. So he tries again.

"I know you heard me. Be polite and simply answer my innocent question, would you?"

"I'm lost," Midna finally says with caution, "You're first person I've met in days."

"Lost? Down here? For days?" the bright voice picks up and hard shoes clap the stone as he moves into a close distance, "You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?"

Midna is unnerved by the stranger's smile. He looks very peculiar. But he's also weighted down by so much garbage, he doesn't seem dangerous to her. Link is quiet, speculating with a pensive look in his feral face.

"That simply won't do," he says, "Come with me."

The man turns, presenting his ponderous back-straddled pack, it jingling and rustling as he moves, and begins to walk away. With a shrug, Midna follows, her dress trailing behind her. Link scuffs along on her heels.

"Do you know where we are?" Midna asks, "Of course you should, right? You came down into this temple too. Have you been living here?"

"Temple?" the man chuckles, "Interesting word choice, young miss. Yes, I do know where we are, come, come, it should be pretty obvious-"

Midna is reluctant to follow blindly, but the man takes them toward a stair case. They begin to climb upward into a new light. They enter what appears to be the inside of a stone tower as when Midna looks up; she sees numerous old wood beams supporting a narrowing height. At the top are turning gears and cranking mechanisms. The clanking sounds faintly reach them.

"Your animal companion," the man says, turning at the top of the stairs, looking at Link, "-he seems more than he is. Hehehe, he is more than what he seems. Am I right?"

Midna shrugs, wearing a suave and guarded smile.

"You needn't be so wary. I merely wish to help, that's why I'm bringing it up. Because I have a good feeling about the two of you... Can you sing, miss?" 

"Sing?" Midna scoffs, "I'm afraid not." Midna shakes her head, thinking of that one time the royal family had tried to tutor her in music-- she'd nearly burned down the entire countryside in the process. Her imp form had given her a warped, sing-songy voice, but she'd never want to return to such a mockery of existence just to have the useless talent.

"Do you play anything, then?"

"No."

The man scrunches up a frown, "Oh. What a shame."

Midna gestures to Link, "He's pretty good at singing though."

The man brightens and giggles, "Hehehe, of course! Of course! That will do then." The man bends his knees and lowers his face to Link's level - somehow easily burdening his knees with all that heavy garbage, "Listen very carefully and try to follow along would you?"

The man straightens and blindly fishes a flute from a back pocket of his heavy burden. He wields the flute at this lips, pushing out a slow, winding melody. Link adeptly follows along, softly howling to the marching time. Midna can't help but appreciate the tenor in Link's howl, a shiver w--startled, Midna stares on in shock as Link's fur recedes, his body pinkening and contorting- he certainly looks like he's going to transform back into a human.

However, the transformation halts part way, reversing. Link's wolf body trembles, becoming a little thicker and muscled. Her mutt now looks rather fierce. The song ends, Link's voice twisting and howling in pain.

"What did you just do to him?!"

"My apologies, that was very unexpected," he swoops down, thumbing Link's cheek, "That was the _Song of Healing_. As you saw, it was intended to restore your companion's form. However, it seems it backfired? That shouldn't be possible. It's a very potent and ancient melody," he sighs, depositing his flute. He stands and bows flat, apologizing, "I'm very sorry. I had only intended to help."

She had recognized the song. How could she not? But how had the masked man known of it? A detail she doesn't have the patience to deal with at the moment.

"Help? We did nothing to deserve your help, you creepy little man," Midna steps in front of Link, the wolf panting a little with fatigue now, "You haven't answered any of my questions yet, either. Let's go back to 'where are we' and then maybe you can tell me more about what you think you know."

"Perhaps you aren't the ones I've been seeking?" the man looks toward the ceiling, then meets Midna's eyes unflinchingly, "My sincerest apologies," he gestures toward a door she had somehow missed, "You may go. You'll find yourself in Clock Town, in what will briefly remain the land of Termina. Good luck. And goodbye." The man descends down the steps into darkness, even as Midna barks at him.

She follows, not satisfied by such a limp response. Midna calls after him, her voice echoing. Her feet slap the stone down in the darkness, but he's vanished. Link is shivering and whimpering in discomfort or pain up above, demanding the princess's attention, so she gives up. She inspects him, pulling her soft hands across his strong coat. Finding nothing wrong, in-fact, he looks a lot healthier now. He's no longer got gaunted, sinewy skin and bone, his idle height impressively reaching nearly at her hips. It's probably fair to say Link's become dire wolf. Midna brushes a hand against his head with a sigh, wondering how this could have also just happened. There's just no trace of magic.

"If you've calmed down, let's step outside for a moment. I'm very disoriented and I'd like to catch a glimpse of this 'Clock Town'. No doubt, something's not adding up. Link, did you know the temple would lead to this place somehow?" The word, the hero's name, brings a slight tinge to her thoughts. She'd been avoiding it, like she didn't have the right to say it.

Link shakes his head and searches her eyes.

"Something weird is going on," the princess grumbles.

Looking back over her shoulder, she questions the physicality of it, but there's no going back right now.


End file.
